Final fantasy Dragons!
by Aqua and Marine
Summary: Trait dragons. dragons who compleet you in every way. these dragons help humans in everyday life. in Shinra, they help to fight. Not a very good summary but please read it. Yaoi! ZackXCloud.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recocnise. I only own the Trait dragons.**

The first chapter is mostly about the oc's but the next will be more about Cloud.

Also this story is written by the wonderfull Lady Shikyo.

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Two figures, both spiky-blonde and blue-eyed, walked together in the crowds of Midgar. The boy kept his eyes on his path and his face remained neutral, but the girl's eyes wandered about the street staring at people, shops, and anything else she could find. Also unlike her companion, a smile constantly played at her lips.

The two's bodies were almost perfectly shaped and begged anyone's eyes to follow them, although both of them seemed oblivious to the effect they caused. The girl was only a few inches shorter than the boy and baggy black pants partially hid her frame, but a golden turtle-neck hugged her chest and left little to the imagination (not that it stopped anyone). The girl, curiously, had no shoes or even socks. The boy's clothes were all black, though some would argue dark blue. His loose shirt had long sleeves that hid his arms from view as well as most of his hands, though you could see his fingertips which were coated in black-leather gloves. A skirt-like thing drifted from his belt down to cover one leg, and a chain draped down to his knee and then back up to attach to his belt again. Loose pants and boots covered the rest of his body. Really, the only part of him that was exposed was his neck and face.

They kept perfect pace with each other until their path ended before a large building with the Shinra logo engraved on the wall above the huge double-doors. It was here that the girl turned to the boy and said something short and sweet before hugging his arm and jumping into the air, joining two other figures hovering in the sky.

The girl, so similar to the boy except for in demeanor, was a Trait Dragon--as revealed by her clawed hands and aerial powers.

The Trait Dragons are a special race, a breed of dragon in which each one holds two main traits that complement a single human on the entire planet. With their human from the moment they're born, the Dragons complete their human and often take on the role of best friend. As a kind of shape-shifting race they use their human forms most of the time, especially in cities and other populated areas, and would gladly give their lives to protect their human.(1)

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Figures--Trait Dragons--glided through the air towards a forest, wide and thick. The eternally green leaves rustled in the gusts of wind that formed as the Dragons landed.

A particular group landed, and the red-head boy in the group darted off to join the stream of teenage Dragons entering the forest. The other two girls, a deep blonde and a pale blonde, were slightly less enthusiastic and walked to the trees, melding into the crowd.

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Rain took in the forest scenery as she walked with the semi-large group of young Trait Dragons. The constant chatter of the dragons didn't scare away any of the wildlife, even though all of them were in human form. Birds fluttered around their heads (the boys' heads, to be more precise; they were much taller than the girls. Most of them were at least a head above the girls in human form) and squirrels and such darted around the Trait Dragons feet. A few even dared to climb up the powerful creatures bodies to rest on their shoulders or in their arms. Rain herself was holding a little grey rabbit, which had eventually fallen asleep snuggled against the crook of Rain's arm.

On Rain's left was a tall teenager with long flaming bright red hair that clashed with his viridian green eyes, which glittered with amusement as he laughed with the other dragons. On Rain's right was another teenager about an inch taller than her, whose long blond hair was much paler than Rain's own. The girl seemed to cringe away in disdain from everyone but Rain.

Finally the group of Dragons broke free of the trees to face the beach of an enormous lake that's far shore was beyond any normal human's sight. At the center of the lake one could see a small island peaking out from the water. Rain grinned at it before gently placing the little rabbit on the ground and dashing towards the shore at a speed only a Trait Dragon could possess. Her footsteps were followed by the rest of the crowd as they joined the race.

Rain's ears once again heard the red-head's chuckle beside her and she glanced over at him. He grinned mischievously at her "If I beat you to the Cave will you give me a kiss?"

Rain grinned back "Sure, Akira, why not?"

Akira blinked and then threw his head back, laughing "Alright!"

Rain's grin widened as she leaned forward and sped up, leaving most of her fellow Dragons behind. As she passed the pale-blonde girl she spun so she was running backwards "I'll see you there, Yuki!" Rain was granted a small smile from her icy-blue eyed friend before turning again and diving into the water.

Rain reveled in the wonderful sensation of contact with the cool water as she sped through it towards the large mass of black rock in the center of the lake.

If you don't hurry up I'm gonna get my kiss! Akira sung through a mind connection as he glided past Rain. The blond pouted and sped up once again to pass Akira. The two raced, rapidly getting deeper and closer to the black mass, disrupting currents as they rushed through them.

And then they were there, a rugged wall of onyx before them. But the two didn't slow down; instead they sped up, going faster and faster the closer they got. Then, right before they should have slammed into the wall, a wide crack emerged giving them entrance. The water fell away as they entered the huge cavern that was revealed.

Rain laughed as the water droplets followed them into the air and reflected light like gems. She shook out her long mane of hair as she spun in the air to face Akira, who was just behind her, to declare victory. His alarmed expression confused her until a moment later she slammed into something large, hard, and scaly. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs and she stumbled as she landed, and between the smooth stone floor, her wet bare feet, and her personal lack of balance, Rain fell flat on her face.

She groaned in pain as she sat up and rubbed her forehead where it had come in harsh contact with the floor "That hurt…"

Akira kneeled by Rain "Hey, are you ok?"

"Ow…" was all she said, a bit dazed, and then turned to face what she'd run into. She looked up to see a long reptilian face glaring down at her with crimson eyes. A face which was attached to a long (Around 75 meters) off-white body that laid coiled beneath the Dragon. Vanilla hairs that followed the Dragon's spine were raised a bit in anger.

"Watch where you're going, brat" the Dragon--a female--hissed.

Rain blinked, and then scowled "Brat?!" the blonde shot to her feet "I'm not the moron sitting in front of the door !"

"She has a point" the three's (plus a few Dragons that had caught up with them) attention was drawn to a pair of Dragons by a couple pillars of stone to their right. The Dragon who had spoken was a male who's long body was somewhere between dark gray and black, with moonless-midnight coloured hair that spilled across his spine.

His and another Dragon's bodies were wrapped around the columns, the other Dragon's pale body and silver hair clashing with the ebony Dragon. The silver Dragon appeared to be sleeping (or ignoring the event). The conscious Dragon's deep amethyst eyes radiated amusement reflected in his grin.

In truth, the ebony dragon--Raikou--had been watching the entrance ever since he heard the splash of water, and his eyes kept unconsciously tracking the fiery, beautiful blonde. Her movements were beyond graceful (if a bit clumsy at times) and her long deep blonde hair clung to her face and body, but it still moved and swayed as she did. The young female's face remained soft despite the number of emotions that crossed it. Raikou was suddenly seeing angel; she was completely breathtaking.

Raikou continued "Jade even made a point to tell you to move, Clare"

"Stay out of this, Raikou" The vanilla Dragon growled "I have my right to punish her as I see fit"

"Punish?!" Rain shouted "(insult)"

"Hey, girl! Shut up!" a young Dragon called Omar hissed at Rain, approaching her from the growing crowd "What do you think you're saying?! She's huge! You can't--"

A feral growl escaped Clare's throat and her crimson eyes deepened in colour. "You impudent ill-bred child!" the Dragon lunged at Rain with her fangs bared.

Akira and Omar scrambled to the side while Rain side-stepped and leapt away, her body stretching and melting into her Dragon form. Her body coiled beneath her and she raised part of it, arching it threateningly, and glared at Clare with her sapphire eyes.

"Rain?" Yuki emerged from the watery entrance, her pale blonde hair plastered to the sides of her face. "What are you doing?" she approached the two tense Dragons but was pulled back by a black-haired man (well, Dragon in human form).

"Interfering wouldn't be wise" he advised, amethyst eyes glittering.

"She is being reckless" she sighed.

The black-haired man frowned "Your calmness worries me"

"Rain can take care of herself. It's the other one I'd be worried about"

The man's frown deepened in confusion, but he jumped when he heard a glass-shattering roar. Yuki felt his grip on her stiffen. They turned to see that Rain had reared up, in all her 95 meter glory, and sunk her fangs into Clare's neck dominantly. Clare struggled under the grip and managed to get away, her pupils slit in rage. Crimson streaks leaked down her neck from the wound.

"Holy…" Omar took in Rain's Dragon form, his emerald eyes wide "She's huge! I've never seen a female that long before!"

Akira chuckled "Yes, she's an impressive one. She's not too bad at this sort of thing, either"

"What do you mean?"

"Just watch"

Rain and Clare eyed each other for a long moment before Clare shot out at Rain. The blonde Dragon evaded and bit Clare on the neck once again, but before Clare could get away Rain threw her across the room into one of the thick pillars of onyx. The entire room-full of Dragons was silent as Clare gasped for breath. Eventually, Rain melted back into her human form; this invoked a hiss from Clare.

"We're not finished!" she roared

"I think you are" a voice drawled from behind Yuki and the black-haired man, startling them into spinning around (by this point Akira had faded into the crowd of gossiping young Dragons, trying to quell any rumors before they started, and Omar had gotten as far from danger as he could.)

"Shit, Jade!" the purple-eyed man glared half-heartedly at the newcomer "Why do you do that?"

The man who had spoken--Jade--tilted his head "Did I scare you?"

"You always scare me Jade" The silver-haired man ignored the reply and turned back to Clare and Rain.

"Stand down, Clare" he ordered, sounding bored.

She glared at Jade "This is none of your business! This is my fight! My position! I won't let some brat take it from me!"

Jade rolled his eyes and yawned "Get a life you sad little person" he turned and leaned on the black-haired man's shoulder "Raikou, you deal with her. I'm not in the mood to argue"

The black-haired man sighed "You're a lazy ass, Jade" he turned to Clare and narrowed his eyes, and the amused glint was replaced by seriousness "By the powers bestowed upon me by the laws of the Dragons, I strip you of your rank and authority. Due to your lack of cooperation in accordance to our laws and denying our leader's orders childishly, you may not try to take back your position from she who has defeated you. Your position is to be given, as our ways dictate, to the female who was victorious over you" his features darkened "and if you attempt to harm your successor in any way, punishment shall not be lenient" Now even the walls seemed to be holding their breath as they waited to see Clare's reaction.

The vanilla Dragon huffed "……I submit"

The room let out a collective sigh of relief. Well, everyone except a confused Rain. The blonde re-entered the group of Yuki, Raikou, Jade, and now Akira, who had just wandered back from the crowd.

"I guess congrats is in order" the red-head grinned at Rain, who just remained looking lost.

"What's going on?" she asked "Who are they?" she gestured at Raikou and Jade--who appeared to have fallen asleep on Raikou's shoulder--and then at Raikou's hand which was still gripping Yuki's arm "And why are you doing that?"

Raikou blinked, then quickly released Yuki "Ah--sorry!" the pale blonde just glanced at him and turned to Rain "They are the first and second in command of us Dragons; Jade and Raikou respectively"

Rain's expression was impressed "You know that just from looking at them?"

Yuki sighed "Most Dragons know what their leaders look like, or at least their names--which have been repeated multiple times since we arrived. You weren't that far away; you should have been able to hear our conversations" Rain's cheeks turned slightly pink, and Yuki smiled softly and patted her on the head "It's alright"

"You can be so clueless Rain" Akira commented "I bet you don't even know who it was you were fighting"

"You're kidding" the group gave Raikou a look "….right? No?" He gazed a t Rain "You honestly don't know?"

Rain raised an eyebrow at him "You got anything to say about it?"

"Ah! No, I--that is--uh…." Raikou stammered and flushed.

"Tongue-tied, friend?" Akira chuckled, and threw an arm over the amethyst-eyed Dragon's shoulders (whacking Jade on the head in the process and invoking a grunt from him, but nothing more) "Rain, my dear, you are now the 'queen' of Dragons. That lady over there," he nodded at Clare "was our lead female"

Rain's eyes widened "…whoops"

Akira laughed "No! Not 'whoops'! You beat her in battle and if Raikou's big important speech thingy is legit--which it is--that means that you are now one of our leaders!"

"Really?.....cool!" Rain smiled, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, I know, it's an amazing wonderful thing." Jade grumbled from Raikou's shoulder "You'll be advised on whatever you'll be doing as 'queen' later. There, everything's taken care of. Can everyone shut up now? I'm trying to sleep"

Raiko u frowned at his friend "You could get off me and move somewhere else"

"No, I cannot"

"Why?"

"Because there is a white mass of stupidity sulking at the loss of its undeserved position reclining next to my pillar, and I don't feel like moving it"

Raitou just stared at him.

"Clare"

"………Oh! Oh…guess that means your not getting off me huh?"

"Got it in one"

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Cloud watched as his Trait Dragon leapt into the air and flew towards Dragon Lake, and felt that strange half empty feeling he got whenever Rain left. He was absorbed in his thoughts and didn't even notice the man that approached him until he spoke "My, you have a very pretty Trait Dragon"

Cloud jumped and turned to the man. "Er….yeah, I guess".

The man chuckled, before running his eyes over Cloud appreciatively "You know, you're not so bad looking either"

Cloud felt himself blush slightly, but fought down the feeling "Uh…"

The man stepped closer and cocked his head, his long white hair falling into one side of his face "What do you say? Wanna go hang out somewhere?"

"I'm busy, so…"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" the man stepped closer still but a voice shouted, startling the man into stillness.

"Oi, Rets! Can't you see he's not interested?" the man and Cloud turned to the voice, which belonged to a teenager with bright red hair in a Turk's uniform, though his clothes were more relaxed; his jacket hung loose and his shirt was untucked, open collared and without a tie. His face held an easy grin as he approached the two.

"Honestly Rets. Don't you have anything better to do than flirt with every hot guy you see?"

The white-blonde--Rets?--rolled his eyes "Sorry Reno"

The red-head--Reno, Cloud assumed--grin widened "I'm afraid I'm not the one you need to apologize to"

Cloud watched as a tall man in black draped his long arms over Rets' shoulders "Hello, love. Watcha doing?"

Rets tilted his head back so he could look the man in the face "Hi, Aka-kun! I'm just playing with the new guy"

"Don't play with him too much…" the black-haired man's eyes wandered to Cloud's, and the apparent emptiness in them sent shivers down his spine "…Cloud has enough problems coming up as it is"

There was an awkward silence in the group before Reno broke it "Well, I guess we better be going!" the red-head grabbed Cloud's wrist and pulled him away from the others, and Cloud went along until his mind caught up with him.

"Hey!" Cloud dug his heels into the ground, bringing himself and his new companion to a halt "What do you think you're doing?"

The red-head blinked "Huh? Oh! Sorry 'bout that." he dropped Cloud's wrist and turned to face him, his grin never leaving his face. He held his hand out to the blonde "I'm Reno Sinclair. Nice to meet ya. You're Cloud, I take it?" he asked, completely ignoring Cloud's question.

Cloud warily took the hand "Yeah: Cloud Strife. How did that guy know my name? I've never seen him before"

"Oh, that's just Akarasu. It's better not to think too hard on him; he enjoys playing the know-it-all. So where are you headed?"

"The Shinra Barracks"

"Ah. So I just dragged you away from you're destination, huh? Oh well. Let's go have some fun somewhere"

Cloud frowned "But I have to go--"

"Lighten up! The Barracks won't be moving any time soon. And anyway," Reno moved to Cloud's side as he slid his hands into his pockets "Rets is a Soldier in training, so he'll still be there this time of day. You're not going to tell me you want his attention, are you?" Cloud quickly shook his head and Reno laughed "Well then, I don't see that you have a choice. Come on, I know this great bar that…" Reno started walking in a seemingly random direction and Cloud stared at him before letting out a little smile and following the red-head.

End Chapter 1

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I hope you liked it. please review.

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(1)Trait dragons(T.D.): T.D. are dragons i made up. they have 2 forms: a human and a dragon form. there dragon form looks like Haku's dragon form from spirited away so just look it up on google or something. they have 2 main traits. these complement one human on the entire planet. T.D. can breath under water and in space with no problems and when there human is on there back they can do the same. also in human form there hands are claws.

Facts about T.D.:

1. male's are 2x longer as female's

2. the longer the dragon the stronger it is.

3. dragons use telepathie to talk to humans when in dragon form.

4. Dragons would gladly die for there trait humans.

5. if trait dragons mate then the chance that there humans do the same is very big.

6. Dragons can shorten themselfs. like if a dragon is 50 m long it can shorten itself to 5 m or 155m to 15.5m


	2. Chapter 2

**An: hi, here is the new chapter for ff dragons. I hope you will all like it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.**

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"Akaaaaaaaa!" Zack slumped into a booth in a little café called 'Arik's'. Across the table from Zack was the long-black-haired man Akarasu. Though from the front you really couldn't tell how long his hair was: it was pulled back by a dark scarlet ribbon Rets had given him. Zack remembered how Akarasu had protested, but when Rets told him that he wanted to 'see that beautiful face of yours without brushing away a curtain of hair' Akarasu had gone quiet. The blush had been quite the accomplishment though, and he wasn't seen without the ribbon ever since "I'm bored. Take me somewhere"

"No" the man's face remained blank as he turned a page in the book he was reading.

"Please?"

"No"

Zack pouted, but then his face brightened "Hey, the new class is training today right?"

"Yes"

"Let's go!"

"No"

"Oh, come on"

"No"

"I'm getting tired of the monosyllable answers"

"So?"

"ARGH!" Zack rested his head on the table before trying again "If you come you can see Rets"

"And….?"

Zack sighed "What kind of boyfriend doesn't want to see his lover?"

"He isn't my lover. Besides, he's skipping class"

"Already? How can he do that so early?"

"Because he's never actually going to become a SOLDIER; he's too lazy"

"That was nice"

Akarasu just grunted.

The table was quiet for a few minutes. Then Zack looked up at the long-haired man "Will you come with me, please?" he whined.

"Why don't you just go by yourself?"

"I'll be lonely"

"And why don't you ask someone else?"

"They're all busy"

"…….you're gonna keep bugging me until I say yes aren't you?"

"Yeah, basically"

Akarasu's book snapped closed "Fine. I'll go, but I won't be happy about it"

"Aw. You'll scare all the new guys…."

"Do you want me to come or not?"

"Okay, okay" the two stood up and left the café, heading off to observe the new class. They didn't speak for a bit while making their way through the crowds, Zack happy that he got someone to come with him; he would have asked his Trait Dragon, but he was off doing some Dragon politics thing at Dragon Lake. Eventually Zack tried to start a conversation "Do you think the new class is any good?"

"If Rets is anything to go by, I wouldn't have my hopes too high" Zack snickered "Yeah, though I don't think there's anyone like Rets. At least I hope there isn't. But really, I wonder what the skill level will be"

"I suppose you'll have to go and see" Akarasu stopped walking and turned to look behind them.

"What do you mean 'you'll'? You're coming too" Zack frowned and stopped walking as well.

"I don't think I am" a small smile found its way to Akarasu's face "Rets is here"

"Huh?" Zack followed the tall man's gaze and noticed that indeed the white-haired man Rets was dodging through the crowd towards them "Ehhhhh; now I really am gonna have to go to the class by myself, aren't I?"

"Yes, I don't think Rets will be fond of returning to the class he ran away from" the stoic man's eyes warmed a little as Rets got closer, and Zack grinned; despite all the things the strange man said about Rets, he really cared about him. It's sweet, really Zack thought I think it'd be nice to have someone like that. The young man turned and began walking again, leaving behind Akarasu to meet up with his boyfriend.

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Zack stepped into the huge room and grinned, scanning the newbies as they were rigorously trained by the instructor. There was lots of shouting, as always, and the trainees were working hard to work up to the expectations their teacher. Zack leaned against the wall, hoping to get away with just watching them do the drills.

His attention was quickly drawn to a slender blonde teenager. He was obviously a trainee, but his movements were very clean and smooth. And despite his gracefulness and the leanness of his body, Zack bet he could easily bash someone's head in if he wanted to.

But not only was the blonde's body beautiful, his features were very delicate; the envy of any young girl. His blue eyes were shocking and his skin had a slight paleness to it. Zack couldn't help thinking that the blonde's hair looked extremely soft and wondering what it would feel like to run your fingers through it. He seemed much more sure than the others as well; he didn't rush to follow the trainer's drills. Zack tore his eyes away from the gorgeous blonde and forced his eyes to wander across the other trainees.

After a while, the instructor called for a halt in the drills and approached Zack "Sir, you seem to have taken an interest in the new class. We'll be heading off to Dragon Lake to see the students' Dragons; would you like to come and see the exhibition as well?"

Zack looked at the man and thought for a moment. He didn't really have anything better to do….. "Yeah, sure. Why not"

"Alright then. Can you leave in a few minutes?"

"Yeah, I'm good"

"Just let me get the kids, then" the man turned to the class and started shouting orders, the students rushing to obey. Then the door next to Zack slid open, and Professor Hojo stepped through. Zack cringed inwardly as the scientist walked past him. He had never really been fond of scientists in general, with the experimenting on things and all that, and Hojo really freaked him out. The man was just so….eh.

Zack watched Professor Hojo approach the instructor and the two started talking. He could tell that the instructor was just about as fond of Hojo as Zack was, but he seemed to stay respectful to the scientist through their conversation. Eventually the teacher nodded reluctantly to Hojo, and the creepy man left the room.

Zack's eyes roamed back to the blonde.

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The teenage trainees spoke to each other loudly, some of them boasting about their amazing Trait Dragons and how powerful they were. Frankly, Zack thought it was a shame. If they were a bit quieter, they would be able to see some of the many non-domestic creatures of the forest that wouldn't try to kill them on sight. While the man-made forest surrounding Dragon Lake was primarily safe to go through, there were still some monsters there that could kill humans easily; the trainees chatter could draw some of the more bold monsters to them.

Zack noticed that, to the blonde's credit, the captivating teenager barely spoke a word the whole journey through the forest. Guess that that means he has some sense to go with that pretty face. Then again, maybe he's just anti-social….

The group breached the edge of the forest safely, and crowded by the shore. This is where the instructor turned to Zack "Could your Dragon do a demonstration for the kids?"

Zack smiled "Yeah. I'm sure Raikou won't mind" he turned to the class "Anyone here want to call up their Dragon? See the difference between a matured one and yours?" the group burst into conversation, and they all seemed to agree on who should call their Dragon: the captivating blonde was shoved to the front of the crowd. Zack grinned "So, it'll be your Dragon then?" the blonde nodded reluctantly. "What's your name?" Zack asked and turned, nearing the water and sitting on the sand.

"Cloud" he followed the raven-haired man but remained standing

"I'm Zack. Nice to meet you" he looked up at Cloud "Call your Dragon" another nod from the blonde.

Zack leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes, smiling into the breeze. He didn't really need to have his eyes closed to call his Dragon, but with his sight of the world gone he felt like he could see Raikou in his mind, and he liked that feeling. Plus, without his vision his other senses were amplified, and he could focus more on the whispers of the cadets.

One of them snickered "Look at that trainee; he looks like a girl. What's he doing trying to become a SOLDIER? I bet he couldn 't break a twig."

"I'm sure his Dragon's just as pathetic. It's probably the size of a faerie"

Zack grinned despite himself. He had to admit he'd be interested to see what Cloud's Dragon looked like. Now to get Zack's own Dragon. Raikou, could you come up here?

I'm on my way. The Dragon's voice immediately echoed through Zack's mind, bringing with it a comforting feeling. He opened his eyes a moment before a large black Dragon emerged from the lake, it's long body flowing out of the water and coiling onto the beach. Zack heard a few awed gasps from the trainees. His Dragon's attention and amethyst eyes focused on Zack "Rain's being held up; she was having lessons when you called"

A cadet--one of the more bold ones--spoke up "What kind of lessons? Dragon's aren't supposed to have classes" Raikou opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off by a large splash behind him. He and everyone else turned to look, finding a soft-gold coloured female Dragon sticking her head out of the water.

Her eyes immediately zoomed in on Cloud "Cloud! How are you? How's the classes? Did you get here safely? Are you okay?" she fired off question after question, worry obvious in her voice.

"I'm fine. Calm down" the blonde boy smiled warmly at the Dragon.

Zack noticed Raikou stretching out, making his size more obvious and his muscles rippling under the scales as he addressed the gold Dragon "Hello Rain"

Rain sent Raikou a burning glare "Stop showing off, moron, and shut up. You've got muscle all over except in that puny head of yours, I swear"

Raikou's ego popped and he pouted "Aw. That was mean"

The blonde Dragon rolled her eyes "Just stay away from me" she thus resumed fussing over Cloud, and completely ignoring Raikou's existence.

Zack laughed at his Dragon's defeated expression "You're not as popular as you say, Raikou!"

"Yes I am!" Raikou insisted "Rain just ignores me…"

Zack laughed again, and then caught some of the trainees' conversations:

"Hey, why do you think he gives that female so much attention?"

"She can't be that long"

"Certainly not as large a mine"

"Bet mine's longer than yours!"

"Mine has to be longer than yours; it's a guy"

"Prove it"

Zack guessed that they all actually did call on their Dragons, because a moment later the lake erupted with splash after splash as the over-sized reptiles emerged and landed on the beach. As they settled down each bowed to Raikou and, to Zack's surprise, Rain. The cadets probably hadn't noticed, since the two Dragons we're close, but Zack saw it "Huh…"

"Alright!" the trainer shouted, getting everyone's attention "All the Dragons will pair up and have practice fights, and you cadets just watch"

The cadets and Dragons nodded and the creatures began finding fighting partners, but they didn't bother trying to go against Raikou, and Rain remained in the water watching the others move around. She for some reason didn't go find a fighting partner. Zack sat on the sand frowning and a wave of confusion washed over the trainees when Raikou turned to the female Dragon "So, Rain, want to see if you can beat me?"

"Now Raikou," Zack started "You shouldn't go against a younger Dragon; it's not fair"

"It's more than fair" Raikou grinned at Rain "This will be a ranking fight"

The blonde Dragon smirked at Raikou "Ha! This won't even be worth calling a fight. I'd like to see you try and outdo me, numbnuts" the head disappeared under the surface and there was a faint colour-change in the water where you could see her swimming out to deep water. Raikou was quick to follow.

"Hey, blondie" Zack gestured for Cloud to sit beside him "Do you know what's going on?"

Cloud smiled slightly and dropped onto the sand "It's what your Dragon said it is; a ranking fight"

"I still don't get it. She doesn't have a rank to fight fo--"

"But she does" Cloud's eyes followed the shapes of the two Dragons underwater "She's the new queen" There was a small shocked silence after that, the only sound the muffled one of Rain and Raikou battling it out underwater.

A sudden loud rush of water startled a few people as the ebony Dragon leapt out into the air. Rain burst out of the water pursuing Raikou, and her body flowed out of the lake. And flowed. And flowed. And flowed.

"That is…" a slimy voice spoke behind Zack, giving him shivers, and he looked up to see Professor Hojo analyzing Rain as she tangled with Raikou, the two biting and clawing at each other. The look in his eyes gave Zack a bad feeling "Who is the human to that female?" Hojo addressed the whole group, but his and his little party of scientists' eyes never strayed from the fighting Dragons.

Cloud looked up at the Hojo "That's me"

Hojo drew unimpressed eyes to the blonde "We need to have a better look at her; tell her to come down here"

"It's really up to Rain, but I'll ask…" Cloud looked up at his Dragon and was quiet for a moment before he let out an awkward smile "She won't come down"

Hojo snarled and snapped at Zack "You! Make Raikou restrain that female!"

Zack glanced between the scientist and Cloud, unsure. I really can't see a way out of this… the black-haired man sighed and he sent out a thought to his Dragon. Raikou, can you get her down here? Raikou didn't respond, but Zack noticed his strikes become more ferocious.

Rain let out a roar and held her position well, her slashes and bites just as harsh as the other ebony Dragon's. Professor Hojo grumbled impatiently behind them as Cloud and Zack's Dragons tangled in violence. It was one of the most beautiful fights Zack had ever seen; their bodies moved gracefully through the air, their attacks were naturally precise and accurate, and the only thing on the two creatures minds was subduing the other.

The perfect dance was suddenly halted when Rain faltered, and Zack heard a choked gasp from the blonde beside him. Zack glanced over to see that a faint blush had tainted his cheeks, and his eyes had gone slightly unfocused.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine" Cloud shook his head "It's…nothing" Zack frowned, noticing that the other was gripping the ground so hard his knuckles had turned white.

There was a rustling from the male Dragons on the beach and a few started out towards Raikou and Rain, but Raikou sent them a burning glare "She's mine!"

While the cry had stopped the other Dragons, it gave Rain a chance to dig her fangs into Raikou's body. Zack felt a flare of his Dragon's anger as Raikou easily snapped out of the females grip and sent her flying onto the beach. There were a few screams from the cadets as Rain's connection with the earth sent sand flying, the trainees scrambling to get out of the way. Zack found himself with his arms hooked under Cloud's, dragging the blonde away from his Dragon.

But, like his Dragon, Cloud didn't give up easily. He swung his arm back, his elbow making a sharp connection with Zack's left cheek, and he was sure he heard something crack. He swore, but Zack still didn't let go of Cloud "Dumb blonde! Your Dragon will be safe; Raikou won't do any real damage! YOU, on the other hand, he could easily break! How do you think Rain will feel if you get hurt on her account?!" this made Cloud pause and he reluctantly let Zack pull him away.

Once he had placed Cloud in a place vaguely deemed safe, he let his attention wander back to the Dragons. Raikou had lied himself out over Rain, pinning her down. Raikou reached down and bit her neck, and Rain struggled but soon resignation was apparent on her face and she calmed down a bit. Professor Hojo smirked and he and his posse of scientists approached them only to be halted by another growl from Raikou. Now along with anger, Zack could feel protectiveness from the ebony Dragon. Said Dragon reared up and snapped out at the scientists, who yelped and took off into the forest.

"Aw, shit…" Zack muttered, wincing at the pain the action caused in his cheek.

Cloud drew his eyes away from Rain to look at Zack "What?"

The black-haired man grinned sheepishly "Raikou's chosen who he wants as a mate"

"What?!" the sound of sand being pounded drew both of their attentions to Rain, who had taken Raikou's distraction with the scientists as a chance to try and struggle out of the male Dragon's grasp.

But her attempts were to no avail, only resulting in what they had before: Raikou pinning her down and gripping her neck. Zack could see her slowly losing strength and the will to fight, and in the end she just stopped, panting for breath and a look of defeat in her eye.

the end

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